Category Archives: doing it wrong

(I forgot to add to my I’m so busy post –NCAA Gymnastics. Finals were last weekend so that’s mostly off my list although there are a few semi-final meets I hope to still get to. With streaming there is access to almost everything including the smaller schools so it’s a lot but I love it.)

Seriously: watch this beam routine. Mute the sound. Because of the way the meet went, she was the last performer and got a standing ovation and a 9.9625 for this amazing, amazing routine:

I have loved Kinder chocolate since my first visit to Germany as a little girl and that hasn’t changed. I bought this bag of cookies because I thought it was funny that they were advertised as crunchy and fun.

They were.

Likewise these mini ice cream sandwiches described as “always irresistible.”

I love all the mini ice cream treats available now. I love something sweet after dinner but often just a bite or two is enough. These are perfect.

Spring flowers in the front yard

Pardon me for being a broken record but everything remains busy. I seem perpetually frazzled and lurching from one chore to the next, just trying to keep up. When I finally have time, I don’t want to sit at the computer. Although I am writing — it’s not going great or super productive but it’s happening little by little.

I haven’t updated it in a while but I have been reading more than usual. Books read here. I just started a book called The Terror by Dan Simmons which is 784 pages long — I didn’t realize that when I started it. Looks like it’s a TV series, too. It’s an account of the 1845 Franklin Expedition searching for the Northwest Passage and the author has taken an already terrifying story and added a horror element. It’s excellent so far.

I have a tiny window for yard work today, I’ve already deleted a number of things from my list, and I’m still not out there.

Here are the garden beds. This was about a week ago. Things have progressed much since then. I already have greens for harvesting.

We helped out the neighborhood Easter egg hunt. We stuffed eggs with candy and tickets. On the day we helped get things set up. There was a nice turnout with tons of kids and perfect weather. It was super fun.

Living dangerously and not proofreading!

I had to grab the camera card out of my “real” camera and it already had photos on it. These are from last year. There are daffodils out there now but just a few.

A couple of weekends ago someone came to the door to sell us something.

As an aside: wasn’t that one great thing about the pandemic is no door-to-door salespeople?

When I opened the door they asked if I was the lady of the house.

In the moment I didn’t think much of it but since then it makes me laugh every time I think of it.

What does that even mean? Am I the homeowner? Do I made the decisions? Maybe she thought I was the butler and needed to go find the lady?

Any minute the never ending parade of exterminator companies should be starting. OOF. There is no reward for being polite. Last year I had a guy and no matter what I said, he had a reply. At one point I think he assured me that their service would only kill the pests I wanted to kill. AMAZING!

I was just thinking that we haven’t seen a Skunky in the yard for quite some time when this image popped up, the last one on the card.

I wonder where he’s set up. I don’t think he lives in our yard. Sheesh, I hope not. There’s a dog next door so not there. I wonder how much the average skunk gets around — like, is he in a nearby yard or does he cover some ground at night?

Ditto for the coyote. I have only caught a coyote on camera a couple of times so I was surprised by this clip. But bunnies are in our yard almost every night so I’m guessing that’s the appeal.

Mostly the camera is raccoons, opossums, bunnies, and cats.

I don’t really do any of the year lists anymore or even take the time to think of my favorite [blank] from the year before. But I was thinking of episodes of TV shows that I really enjoyed recently — more than just in the last year.

1. The Bear, Season 2, Episode 4 “Honeydew”

This is the one where Marcus goes to Copenhagen even though he’s concerned about his sick mother. It is so quiet and lovely in the midst of a show with a lot of chaotic episodes. I already loved this character and this made me love him more.

2. The Bear, Season 3, Episode 6 “Napkins”

Like my favorite above, this episode focuses on a more side character Tina. And this is a flashback episode that tells her story and how she ended up part of the Original Beef. Tina starts off, pre-beef, in a really great place and as the episode develops she goes through some terrible disappointment and humiliation and she manages it with so much dignity until she can’t. So much heart in this story.

3. Only Murders in the Building, Season 4, Episode 7 “Valley of the Dolls”

In a series with tons of terrific characters and performances, nothing comes close Charles’ sister Doreen played by Melissa McCarthy. Doreen develops a crush on Oliver and every scene is a hilarious surprise. Even if you don’t watch this show I think you should watch this episode.

4. Severance, Season 1, Episode 9 “The We We Are”

This aired in 2022 but it is a favorite TV episode. Every story thread has a super high stakes thing happening — all at the same time. It is an exhilarating hour of TV.

We need to re-up Apple TV because we cancelled it when we realized how much we were spending on TV. Meanwhile, we also somehow cancelled all the channels I use to watch NCAA gymnastics and now we have to add that stuff back, too. They don’t make it easy for you to save money on TV, do they?

5. I don’t have a fifth episode.

I thought I would think of another one as I worked on my list but no. I have a lot of shows I enjoyed last year but can’t think of a particular episode that is sticking out for me right this second.